The air in the theater after school rings with vocal warmups. Dozens of students are gathered on stage, holding planks and jumping jacks as they sing scales. In doing so, they’re warming up their bodies and voices for an afternoon of rehearsing acts from the musical “Mamma Mia!” Photo by Amy Wang.

On March 31, the performers  will start the night with a remastering of the iconic “Honey, Honey” by ABBA. With the first lilting notes of the song, the audience will be transported to a sunny Greek island paradise, where they’ll follow Sophie Sheridan on her journey to find her birth-father, just days before her own wedding. 

From memorizing the words of 28 songs, to rehearsing complicated dance routines, each part of the theater’s upcoming production has been an intensive undertaking. 

“We’re trying to pull the whole show together now,” Callie Mitchell (12) said. “But even before this, we had to figure out our blocking, learn our choreographies for different numbers, and practice with the choir teacher to learn our harmonies and melodies.”

Mitchell, who plays Tanya, has been counting down the two weeks left until opening night. In particular, mastering the balancing act between singing and dancing involved in musical numbers has left her invigorated, and excited to perform for the student body.

“It’s hard to have my own dance number so I’m really proud of how it’s coming together, and being able to sing and dance at the same time,” Mitchell said.

Similarly, Lilith Freund (12), who plays one of the leading roles as Donna Sheridan, is also looking forward to showcasing months of hard work.

“This is going to be our big first musical in the theater after COVID-19,” Freund said. “The entire show is just so fun because the music is familiar and it’ll be very exciting to see how the audience reacts to it.”

The 74 members of the theater cast and crew have spent more than four months preparing for this show. As a part of that process, auditions were held in November, with callbacks following in December. Since then, Freund has spent hours after school rehearsing. 

“The play is a lot more integrated with music and lyrics, and with that comes having to practice every song, as well as dance steps and blocking,” Freund said. “So it becomes a matter of dividing up your time, between memorizing a song today, or a scene tomorrow, versus taking things scene by scene.”

Not only has the play required acting, singing, and dancing skills, technical expertise has also been deeply involved in the final product. From the light crew to the assembly of complex wooden sets, there have been dozens of hands involved behind the scenes of every act. As a culmination of all the hard work of the cast and crew, the performance will take place six times, starting March 31, and ending with a final show the evening of April 9.

“It’s really been a time commitment, but I just love this process since I can be with my friends and still create something amazing and incredible,” Mitchell said.

Above all, the musical is a showcase of the trust in each other and hard work the cast and crew have put in over the last year. Ensemble member Brad Brady (11) said that he believes the best part of his participation in the musical has been learning to collaborate with his crew mates.

“Everyone has to fill their own parts in order for the musical to flow cohesively,” Brady said. “Without any single person, the outcome wouldn’t be the same. Everyone has to think about what they are doing individually, and how it will contribute to the whole. Communication is the main reason it can happen in the first place. Every tech head has to communicate with all the other tech heads, just as every cast member is responsible for knowing the flow of the show.”

This feeling of connection and camaraderie has driven much of the cast and crew enthusiasm for the production. To be able to work so closely with some of her closest friends while training for a wide array of different skills has been one of the best parts of the months leading up to the show, Freund said.

“I love being able to come into an environment every single day knowing that there’s something new on the agenda,” Freund said. “On Mondays we might do scene-work, and on Tuesdays we do dance, and on Wednesdays we might do singing. All the while, I get to do all of that with some of my best friends, people who I’ve known since middle school.”